Uzbekistan full of contrasts—a modern capital and the pearl of the Orient. Travelogue from Uzbekistan

🕗 7 minutes | January 27, 2025 | Text by Ewa Bańbuła-Dyda

The idea for my next trip to Asia coincided with the news that LOT had launched flights to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Even as I was packing, I didn't know what to expect from this distant country. I was drawn to the mysterious history of the Silk Road and the great Uzbek cities of Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. The trip to this former Soviet republic was a bit thrilling and uncertain for me. We flew to Tashkent during the May long weekend, the whole family: me, my husband, and our 12-year-old daughter.

The LOT plane took off from Warsaw airport at 11 p.m. and landed at 7:55 a.m. We used the night flight to sleep and rest (we were given pillows and blankets on board) so that we would have the energy to explore the city in the morning.

After landing at Tashkent airport and passing through passport control, we immediately queued up for Internet cards. It's best to do this quickly, before other travelers form a long queue. Purchasing a local SIM card is the first important step when staying in a country outside the European Union if you would rather not receive high bills from your operator after your return.

With internet on your phone, you can order a taxi, which is the cheapest and most convenient means of transport here—it will make it easier for you to get from the airport to the city center and get around the capital of Uzbekistan. I also recommend downloading the Yandex Go app (it's like the local Uber) and setting it up before departure.

At the airport, you can exchange currency at a currency exchange office or withdraw cash from an ATM, but this is not necessary. You can pay by card at local restaurants, and ATMs are available everywhere.

Before leaving the airport, you have to go through a security gate where your checked baggage is scanned. You will encounter such security checks many times at subway stations and train stations. Therefore, it is always a good idea to arrive well in advance of your departure to go through these checks calmly.

On the first day, we visited several important tourist attractions. First, we took the subway to the Hazrat Imam Complex. We had already heard that the subway stations in Tashkent are originally designed, and each has its own individual atmosphere and character. So we visited the Kosmonavtlar station, which honors Soviet cosmonauts. The walls along the tracks feature images of space explorers, including Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin.

Another station, called Gagur Gulom, has turquoise granite columns and ceramic mosaics on the walls. Here, we took a long escalator to the surface to walk to a complex of Islamic buildings. Then we walked through the narrow streets of the oldest district of the city, where the windows faced inner courtyards rather than streets, and the houses themselves had massive wooden doors. Although we did not meet many people there, we had the overwhelming impression that we were being watched by the locals.

At the Hazrat Imam Complex, you can visit the mosque, enter the library to see the world's oldest Koran, or sit in the shade and enjoy the view of the beautiful turquoise domes. For lunch, I recommend a local restaurant near the mosque, Karasaray Lagman. At that time, it was full of Uzbeks, which convinced us that it was worth stopping there for a meal. The restaurant's specialty was lagman, which is noodles with meat and vegetable sauce.

Our next stop was Amir Timur Square, named after an important figure in Uzbekistan's history. He was a ruler who conquered most of Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, India, and Transcaucasia during his reign, which is why Uzbeks still revere him today. Remembering him, they built a monument: Amir Timur sits on a horse and greets his subjects with his hand raised. Nearby, you will also find a museum dedicated to this figure. It features portraits of the ruler, models of buildings that were built during his time, and the scope of his conquests.

For a bit of festive entertainment, such as ice cream, shooting galleries, and even ping-pong tables, I suggest walking down Sayilgoh'chasi Street, from Amir Timur Square towards the Mustakillik fountains.

For our afternoon break, we went to the bar at the Uzbekistan Hotel. It's impossible to miss this building, as it towers over the entire square. It's a masterpiece of Soviet architecture, a bit ugly, but it has the atmosphere of a bygone era. In the lobby, we were greeted by the concierge, who immediately pointed us to the elevators, which took us to the 15th floor, and then up the stairs to the highest restaurant in the city. The bar is not particularly impressive in terms of interior design (although here too you can feel the atmosphere of a bygone era), but the view of the city is beautiful. So I recommend afternoon coffee with a wide panorama of the city!

We started our second day in Tashkent with a visit to the Minor Mosque. It is called the Snow Mosque or White Mosque because, unlike other brick buildings, it is made of white marble. Then we visited the Chores Bazaar to experience the atmosphere of Central Asian trade and see stalls with spices, dried fruit, meat, pickles, and nuts. When shopping for goods, it is worth bargaining, although the prices are low anyway, at least for the Polish pocket. I must admit that I love the atmosphere of such places and often visit local markets.

To get some rest, we went to Korean Park and then had pilaf. This is an Uzbek dish that you simply must try. Pearl rice grains are cooked in a traditional Uzbek cauldron, mixed with juicy pieces of beef, carrots, and aromatic spices. This is how we ended our short stay in Tashkent and took a train to Samarkand.

Samarkand is associated with stories of caravans and merchants who transported their goods between the East and the West. Once the pearl of Central Asia, Alexander the Great himself said: “Everything I have heard about Samarkand is true, with one exception: it is more beautiful than I imagined.”

I recommend setting aside one or (to be on the safe side) two days to explore Samarkand. It took us a whole day to walk around the city, although I must admit that it was a bit tiring. Nevertheless, we still had enough energy for an evening walk to Registan to see the illuminated madrasas and experience a slightly different atmosphere of the city. The monuments were less crowded at that time, which allowed us to appreciate the role of Samarkand in the development of Islamic architecture throughout the Central Asian region, from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent.

I should also mention that I was very impressed by how quickly science developed there during the reign of Ulugh Beg in the 15th century. Madrasas, which were initially established to study the Koran, transformed into centers for the development of science and art. Astronomy and mathematics were studied particularly intensively here. Apparently, Johannes Hevelius worked in later centuries based on the sky maps drawn up by Ulugh Beg. In one of the paintings in the museum, I spotted Nicolaus Copernicus, among others. This painting, in which Ulugh Beg sits among the most eminent astronomers, was an expression of recognition for this figure and his contribution to the development of astronomy at that time.

Bukhara, the last city on our trip, made the biggest impression on us. Once one of the most prosperous cities in the region, it was well-known for its beautiful monuments from the 16th and 17th centuries. Thanks to its impressive madrasas and intricately decorated tombs, it attracted scholars and clergy from across the Muslim world and served as an important resting place for travelers and merchants on the Silk Road.

Today, Bukhara's significance is not based on any specific building, but on the coherence of its urban layout, which has been carefully preserved since the Middle Ages. This makes it the most complete medieval city remaining in Central Asia.

In Bukhara, we stayed in the very center of the old town, in a guest house run by an Uzbek family. This allowed us to reach all the city's monuments on foot and at the same time get to know the appearance of the house (with its characteristic courtyard in the middle) and the lifestyle of the residents.

During our visit (more precisely, on May 3-5, 2024), the Second International Festival of Gold Embroidery and Jewelry was held in Bukhara. The streets were lined with stalls displaying beautiful embroidery, cotton and silk fabrics (cotton and silk are grown in Uzbekistan), jewelry, and many other local items.

In Bukhara, most of the monuments are accessible on foot. We visited the Ark Fortress, towering over the entire city, and of course madrasas and mosques with turquoise domes. I found it interesting to sit in one of the restaurant gardens on Lyabi Khause Square – a place by a lake that used to be a source of drinking water and is now a decoration. It is surrounded by madrasas and mosques, and there are many restaurants around, which is why crowds of people spend their evenings there.

We reserved a table for dinner to guarantee a seat (the crowd may have been a result of the Embroidery Festival taking place in Bukhara), but we also saw many locals spending their evenings here having dinner or playing board games. Sitting in such surroundings, we had the opportunity to feel the soul of the city and learn a little about the local culture of its inhabitants.